We love it when people take a familiar idea and turn it into something completely new. Take the good old pedal boat — a simple vehicle powered by human motion, not unlike the trusty bicycle. What if one could create an amphibious human-powered vehicle that could move from land to water with the ease of a salamander? That was the inspiration behind the radically innovative Di-Cycle Concept by GBO design, a half bicycle / half pedal boat hybrid that looks as fun as it sounds.
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Di-Cycle Concept is particularly well suited for the Netherlands, where there is an ardent biking culture and plenty of water. Therefore it comes as no surprise that this is where the Di-Cycle was developed.
GBO design wanted to create a fun and active vehicle that could explore the city using both roads and the multiple canals in the city of Helmond. The Di-Cycle looks like an enjoyable way to get around any aquatic city, and for this creative design, GBO won the Brabantse Spelen design competition in 2005. Truly a spectacular and eye popping concept.
+ Dicycle @ GBO
Via Automoto
I love it; I want to watch it move! It’s such a gorgeous and clever piece of design.
I can’t honestly see this moseying about our towns and cities, but it does look cool. Not to mention, I bet you can have a hell of a fun time on it – land and water.
Unlike some weird and whacky ideas – that chair built into the wearer’s pants that’s also featured today – you can actually see where this could develop and have some real world benefit. Not least by strapping a motor to it! I know, not very green that, is it? But then think how easy that would make getting around, say, wetland/lake areas. What do you have now? All terrain vehicles or air boats. This might make a sound alternative, assuming it doesn’t get stuck in mud too easily, but surely the amphibious design means that has been considered.
But in somewhere like Holland, where it’s lovely and flat, and has lots of water, yeah, I can see where a man-powered version could work very well.
Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog
and suspense thriller ‘What if…?’
Wow that is truly fascinating indeed. Cool stuff.
Jiff
http://www.anonymize.us.tc
D’oh!…. This does still mean I can make a car a bit simlar to this without “copying”?? A friend asked me to design a orb-shapet vehicle and this was mostly what I think was possible to make it run..
Great tool, I like to have a ride
Dilantha
http://www.chempro.org